THIS WEEKEND: The Washington baseball team (14-7 overall, 2-4 in the Pac-10), which was a team on a hot streak prior to running into No. 1 Stanford last weekend, hopes to get back to winning this weekend as the Huskies host California (15-14, 2-4) in a three-game series at Husky Ballpark. Friday night's opener is slated for 6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's games are 1:00 p.m. starts. All three can be heard live on KSRB AM-1150 and on www.1150ksrb.com. Wednesday night, in a game postponed from Tuesday due to rain, the Huskies hit five home runs in a 14-7 victory over Puget Sound. Next week, the Huskies take time off from the conference slate, taking on Pacific Lutheran next Tuesday at Husky Ballpark before travelling to Hilo to face Hawaii-Hilo in a four-game series. The Huskies' next Pac-10 series is April 12-14 at UCLA. Here's a look at this weekend's games:

SERIES HISTORY: California holds a 20-12 record in the all-time series against Washington, though over the last three seasons, it has been a tight series as the Bears have won five of nine. In 1998, UW took two of three in a non-league series at Husky Ballpark. Jason Dennis shut the Huskies out, 6-0, in the opener, but the Huskies won 6-4 and 8-4 in the next two. In 1999, the Dawgs travelled to Berkeley for a three-game set. Jon Shirley tossed a two-hit shutout as Cal won game one, 10-0. In game two, despite two homers from Dominic Woody, Cal took a 10-inning game, 6-5, on a Dennis homer. In game three, the Huskies scored five in the ninth for a 10-8 win. Last year at Husky Ballpark, the Bears hammered the Huskies in game one, 10-1, before the UW won, 8-5 in game two. Cal won the series with an 8-2 victory.

COACH "K": In eight seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Ken Knutson has led the Dawgs to two Pac-10 championships, four Pac-10 Northern Division titles, two second-place finishes and three NCAA Regionals. His career overall record stands at 299-192 (.609). With those 299 wins, he is the second-winningest coach in UW history, trailing only Bob MacDonald (422). Before becoming the Husky head man in 1993, Knutson served as the Husky pitching coach for eight seasons. In 1985, his UW pitching staff led the nation with a 2.80 ERA. Knutson holds a 147-53 (.735) record in home games. He is 132-84 (.611) in conference games. Knutson has coached 35 first-team All-Pac-10 selections in eight seasons, and has been named league caoch of the year three times. A 1981 All-Pac-10 left-handed pitcher at the UW, he is joined by assistant coaches Joe Ross, Ed Gustafson, and Joe Weis and undergraduate assistant Daniel Jahn.

PROBABLE STARTERS: Here's a look at the probable starters at each position, with 2001 stats and notes:

ONE YEAR OLDER: Washington fielded its youngest team since 1996 last season, with four freshmen in the everyday starting lineup and only one senior on the roster. The Huskies are hoping that they can repeat what happened with that young '96 squad, which went on to win Pac-10 Championships in 1997 and 1998. This season, Washington returns 24 players that played last season, plus two redshirts. Offensively, returning players started 66 percent of last year's games, and accounted for 64 percent of the Huskies' at bats, runs and hits. Returners hit 46 of the Dawgs' 67 home runs (69 percent) and stole 51 of 88 stolen bases (58 percent). On the mound, the Huskies are even more experienced. Members of the 2001 roster made 156 appearances last season and accounted for 77 percent (20) of the Huskies' 26 wins and 73 percent of starts (41 of 56). Returning pitchers worked 382 innings (79 percent) and fanned 300 (76 percent).

STILL YOUNG PUPS: While Washington is fielding a much more experienced team than it did last year, it's still a very young club. If you are to break down the starting players so far this year, you'll find that freshman or sophomores have earned two-thirds of the starts. Going with the notion that 10 players start each game (pitcher and DH included), and that the Huskies have played 21 games so far, 120 starts have gone to sophomores and 25 to freshmen, for a total of 145, or 69 percent of the 210 total starts.

THE POWER HOUSE: Over its three-plus years of existence, Husky Ballpark has shown itself to be primarily a hitter's park, at least when the weather conditions are right. Through 69 games at Husky Ballpark, the Huskies have belted 122 home runs, an average of 1.8 per game, while visitors have hit 80 home runs, or 1.2 per game. In 69 games, a total of 968 runs have been scored (both teams combined), an average of 14.0 per game.

FRIENDLY CONFINES: Washington was very tough at home in the 1990s, posting a mark of 160-52 (.755) over those 10 seasons. Under coach Ken Knutson, the Huskies have posted a remarkable 147-53 record in home games, good for a .735 mark. In 1998, the Huskies moved into Husky Ballpark and have notched a 68-31 (.687) record so far. In three seasons, the Huskies have averaged 30 home games a year after usually having played 15 to 20 each season at old Graves Field. This season, the Dawgs are scheduled to play 26 home games.

CUBA TRIP: Last September, the Husky baseball team travelled to Cuba for a week of baseball. The Dawgs were to play four games against the Cubans, with a fifth game pitting two mixed teams (half Huskies, half Cubans) against one another. Washington went 2-2 against teams made up of Cuban pros and the mixed game was rained out. UW was the first major college team to play in Cuba.

POSITION PLAYER NOTES (in alphabetical order):

Tyler Davidson, Soph. OF: After a slow start (0-for-8 at Tucson), Davidson got it going during the UC Riverside series, going 6-for-17 (.353) with four RBI ... has gone 21-for-56 (.375) since the 0-for-8 start ... 2-for-3 with three-run homer Wednesday vs. UPS ... 3-for-3 with the bases loaded so far this season ... only Husky to hit safely in all three vs. USC, going 5-for-11 with five RBI in the series ... only got two ABs in Southern Utah series while recovering from a bruised ankle ... began his freshman year last season on the bench, but ended up starting 28 of the last 30 ... cracked the starting lineup April 5 at Washington State, when he went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a home run, and an intentional walk in his last at bat ... top batting average (.345) among returning players ... 17 of 38 hits last year were for extra bases ... named honorable mention freshman All-America by Collegiate Baseball.

Michael Done, Junior 3B: Has been the Huskies' leading hitter for most of the season ... has started 20 of 21 games, 19 at third base and once at second ... only 1-for-11 vs. Stanford after going 9-for-14 (.643) over the previous four games ... 10-for-20 with runners in scoring position this season ... 10 walks this season already after only eight all of last year ... shares team home runs lead with three ... second with three steals ... March 10 vs. Southern Utah, went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and four RBI ... went 7-for-13 (.538) at the Illini Desert Classic ... drove in the tying run in the ninth vs. BYU in the season opener ... started all but two games at third base last season ... stole 10 bases on 11 tries last year ... made only 14 errors in 54 games last year ... named the best infield arm in the Pac-10 by Baseball America.

Justin Drake, Soph. OF: One of several candidates for the starting spot in center field ... started March 11 vs. SUU in left, going 2-for-4 with a double ... started in left vs. Illinois ... scored winning run in 6-5 win over BYU, appearing as a pinch runner ... spent a good portion of last season as the starter in center, starting a total of 20 games.

Jay Garthwaite, Soph. OF: Probably the most successful Husky hitter vs. Stanford, going 4-for-10 ... hit a three-run homer in the first Wednesday vs. Puget Sound ... leads the team with eight doubles and is the co-leader witih three homers and 23 RBI ... the Huskies' starter in left in 17 games, in right twice, and at DH in the other ... had a great weekend at UC Riverside, going 7-for-16 with two homers and 10 runs batted in ... only hit in 10 at bats last season vs. California was a solo home run ... broke the UW freshman home runs record with 12 last season ... had off-season surgery to repair the shoulder that had relegated him to DH duties in 2000 ... honorable mention Freshman All-America.

Bryan Johnson, Soph. 1B: The only Husky to have started in all 21 games this season ... has started one game at third and 20 at first base, but has also played second base ... despite hitting only .289, leads the team with 20 runs and is the co-leader with 23 runs batted in ... also leads the team with 12 walks ... 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI Wednesday vs. Puget Sound ... appeared in one game, but did not have a plate appearance last year vs. Cal ... 3-for-5, and a homer short of a cycle, with four RBI March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... three-run homer at OSU March 6 ... good weekend at Riverside, going 7-for-16 (.412) with two doubles, six RBI and a grand slam ... had an outstanding summer with Athletes in Action, batting .327 with a wood bat and leading his team to a fourth-place finish at the NBC World Series.

Brandon Jacobson, Soph. OF: Had emerged as the regular starter in center and, with Rittenhouse injured, at the leadoff spot before suffering a wrist/hand injury Mar. 21 vs. WSU ... hasn't played since ... made 11 starts in center field and one in right ... 1-for-3 with a double Mar. 20 vs. WSU ... 5-for-10 with six runs scored in three games vs. USC ... scored game winner in 10th in game two of USC series, coming home on a strikeout/wild pitch ... HR in game three to lead off the game ... shares team lead with 18 runs scored and leads with four stolen bases ... made two starts in center at UCR, going 6-for-10 with a home run and three runs scored ... batted .393 and led the league in runs and steals last year at Bellevue (Wash.) CC, playing with a wood bat.

Ben Miller, Junior OF: Has seven starts this year -- four in center, one at DH and two in left ... 3-for-5 with two doubles last Sunday at Stanford ... 2-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday vs. UPS ... hit a two-run homer in four at bats March 10 vs. Southern Utah ... drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th vs. Illinois, but the Illini tied it in the bottom of the 10th ... closed out last season by collecting eight hits in his last 16 at bats after starting his career hitless in his first 23 ... since the 0-for-23 start, has gone 19-for-45 (.422) ... first hit was a two-run homer vs. St. Martin's.

Duggan Moran, Senior 1B/DH: Has started eight games at DH and one at first base ... hit first career homer off the bench Sunday vs. Southern Utah ... with nine hits this season, has already more than quadrupled last year's total ... 3-for-8 at UC Riverside ... 2-for-5 March 6 at Oregon State ... first career hit (last season vs. Northern Iowa) drove in the tying and winning runs.

John Otness, Freshman IF: With Marc Rittenhouse out four to six weeks after thumb surgery, has moved into starting role at second base ... surpassed Michael Done to take over the team lead for batting with his .429 average, though he has 29 fewer at bats ... 14-for-35 (.400) in nine games since Rittenhouse's surgery ... currently on an eight-game hitting streak, going 14-for-32 (.438) over the streak ... 4-for-11 at Stanford with hits in all three ... 3-for-5 with a double, a steal and an RBI Wednesday vs. UPS ... started all three vs. USC, going 3-for-11 with an RBI ... has yet to make an error in 52 chances ... only start prior to USC games came in last game at UC Riverside ... the week prior to USC, came off the bench in three of the four games, going 3-for-3 with three singles and a walk ... doubled in first career at bat off the bench in Saturday's game two at UCR ... primarily a second baseman, but has played SS and 3B as well ... missed fall practice after suffering an kidney injury during summer ball ... batted .560 as a senior and was the Tacoma player of the year.

Jeremiah Porter, RS-Freshman OF: Has made six appearances and two starts ... yet to record a hit in 13 at bats ... 0-for-3 in first career start March 7 at Oregon State ... hitless in five ABs vs. Puget Sound on March 28 ... red-shirted the 2000 season due to a back injury that eventually required surgery.

Tila Reynolds, Soph. SS: Has started 19 of 21 at shortstop this year ... last year vs. Cal, went 6-for-11 (.545) with a homer and four RBI ... two-run homer vs. UPS on Wednesday ... only 1-for-10 vs. Stanford ... only went 1-for-4 in two WSU games, but walked four times ... drove in two runs on Tuesday with a sacrifice fly and a groundout ... had a rough weekend vs. USC, going only 1-for-14 with one run ... 2-for-4 with a homer a double, two RBI and three runs March 6 at OSU ... very solid weekend at UC Riverside, batting .474 (9-for-19) with six runs, a double and a home run ...tripled to drive in the opening run of Kentucky game ... started 50 of 56 games at shortstop as a freshman last year ... honorable mention Freshman All-America ... over the last 35 games of 2000, batted .302 and made only six errors in last 32 games.

Tim Rice, Junior C: Has started in six games at catcher, including five of the last eight ... has hit safely in four of those five starts since Thiel was lost to injury ... caught all 19 innings of the March 19 doubleheader sweep of USC ... 2-for-4 with a double last Friday at Stanford ... 2-for-4 March 20 vs. Washington State ... singled once in each of the USC games, going 2-for-9 over the doubleheader ... started 12 games as the backup catcher in 2000 after transferring from Tacoma CC.

Marc Rittenhouse, Senior 2B: Had surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumbon March 15 and will miss the next three to five weeks ... prior to injury, started 11 of 12 games, 10 at second base and one at short ... went 9-for-17 with seven runs and four doubles over his last five games ... 4-for-4 with three runs and two doubles March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs March 6 at OSU ... co-captain along with Jeff Carlsen ... 12 home runs in 2000 shared the team lead ... had only five homers prior to last season ... second on team with 13 stolen bases and first with 47 walks ... 47 walks ranked third in the Pac-10 ... 10th in UW history in career walks and runs .

Jefferson Thiel, Soph. C: Had started 12 of the first 13 games behind the plate prior to an elbow injury ... may return to catching duties on one or two weeks ... on the "watch list" for the Johnny Bench Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate catcher ... two starts at DH vs. Stanford, going 0-for-6 ... 2-for-2 with a homer and three runs March 11 vs. Southern Utah in only four innings ... also homered in March 10 win vs. Southern ... 7-for-15 (.467) with two homers and five RBI vs. OSU and SUU ... caught every inning of the opening weekend, and still managed to hit .500 with four RBI ... singled home winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth vs. BYU ... started 44 of 56 games as the Husky catcher in 2000 ... named first-team Freshman All-America by USA Today Baseball Weekly ... hit .556 (5-for-9) with two HR during trip to Cuba.

Mike Wagner Freshman 3B: Backs up at third base and at DH ... 0-for-last-3, all in pinch hitting appearances ... has made four starts at DH and one at third base ... 3-for-4 with four RBI March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... hit two doubles off of the bench in game two at UC Riverside ... went 6-for-13 (.545) in three games at UCR ... All-KingCo third baseman as a junior and senior at Woodinville High ... over the summer, once strung together 19 consecutive hits ... 0-for-3 in lone start.

Chad Yarbrough, Soph. C: Made first career start March 21 vs. Washington State ... started Wednesday vs. UPS and got first career hit, a two-run homer ... also started Sunday at Stanford, going 0-for-0 with a walk, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice bunt and a run ... grounded out in only other at bat besides Wednesday ... saw action in three games last year, but didn't get a plate appearance.

STARTING PITCHER NOTES (projected starting order):

Shawn Kohn, Junior RHP: Set to make first start of his career Friday night vs. California after 39 career relief appearances ... has been outstanding out of the bullpen so far ... leads the team with nine appearances and is 2-0 with a 2.57 earned run average ... had easily his longest outing of the year Sunday at Stanford, throwing five innings of relief ... allowed three runs on four hits ... broke a streak of five outings in a row without giving up a run ... has surrendered a run in two of nine outings ... picked up second win in game two of the USC series, working 2.2 perfect innings and fanning three ... also worked one inning vs. WSU on March 22, fanning one with no hits ... threw one scoreless inning March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... threw an inning of relief March 2 at UCR, fanned three and got the win ... threw a scoreless inning, fanning two in March 6 OSU game ... did not appear last year vs. California.

Zack Daniels, Sophomore LHP: Has generally split time as a mid-week starter and reliever ... four relief outings and one start so far this season ... set to make first career Pac-10 start this weekend vs. Cal ... didn't not pitch in any Pac-10 games last year, even in relief ... threw four relief innings Saturday at Stanford, allowing three runs on eight hits ... earned a victory March 20 vs. WSU, throwing four no-hit innings to finish the game in relief of Jeff Carlsen ... combined on a two-hitter ... fanned three in two scoreless innings March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... earned the win last March 6 at OSU, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and four Ks over 5.0 innings ... started eight and made only one relief appearance last year.

Clay Johnson, Freshman RHP: Suffered first career loss March 24 at No. 1 Stanford ... gave up five earned runs on eight hits over four-plus innings ... improved to 3-0 March 19 with win over USC ... worked eight innings, scattering eight hits, allowing two earned runs ... got the win March 9 vs. Southern Utah ... fanned five in five innings in that one ... threw five strong innings for first win at UC Riverside (March 3, game two) ... no-hit the Highlanders through the first four ... finished with five innings, three hits, two runs and four Ks ... earned first career start vs. Illinois ... threw 3.1 innings and got no decision ... had a very similar career to fellow Elma High grad Jake Kringen, one of the most successful pitchers in UW history ... like Kringen, led Elma to the state title as a senior and posted a 0.00 ERA as a senior.

BULLPEN NOTES:Brian Barton (Soph. RHP) led the UW with 22 appearances in 2000 ... didn't allow a home run in 28.1 innings, while striking out 30 in that span ... had elbow surgery in off-season and made first appearance (one inning, no other stats) March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... second outing came Wednesday vs. UPS, when he allowed a single and struck out one in one inning ... Mike Bomar (Senior LHP) has been outstanding in six appearances so far ... has worked 16.0 innings, allowing six runs on 14 hits, five walks and nine Ks ... threw 5.2 vs. Illinois ... allowed only two hits and one walk while fanning six ... first 4.2 innings were no-hit ... Jeff Carlsen (Senior RHP) has made only two relief appearances in his career, but one came Sunday at Stanford, when he relieved an injured Sean White in the second inning ... suffered the loss (only the eighth of his career against 23 wins) in that game ... made first appearance of the year (after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery) March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... threw three perfect innings in a start, fanning six of the nine he faced ... got the win, the 23rd of his career to take over sole possession of second place in UW career wins ... also surpassed the 200-strikeout mark, only the third Husky ever to do so ... started March 20 vs. Washington State, but got no decision, leaving after five innings with a 3-3 score ... holds the UW career starts record with 42, and is third in innings pitched with 261.1 and third in strikeouts with 206 ... needs four wins to tie the UW career mark of 27 ... Matt Gardner (Senior LHP) is fully healthy again after shoulder injury ... gave up four runs in one inning Sunday at No. 1 Stanford ... gave up a run on a hit in one inning vs. WSU March 21 ... struck out two in that one inning ... struck out one in an inning March 11 vs. SUU ... worked 4.2 in relief March 4 at UC Riverside ... outstanding as a lefty set-up man ... Trevor Gibson (Freshman RHP) has been solid in his five outings ... threw a perfect inning last Friday at No. 1 Stanford ... threw a scoreless inning March 21 vs. WSU, allowing one hit ... threw a scoreless in March 7 at OSU ... allowed one run on one hit and three Ks in two innings March 10 vs. Southern Utah ... threw four innings (one run) for the save at UC Riverside ... Taylor Grant (Junior LHP) made 16 relief appearances and four starts in 2000 ... led the Huskies and was third in the Pac-10 with six saves last season ... appeared in both OSU games ... threw 2.1 relief innings in tough-luck loss to Illnois ... gave up one run (unearned) on one hit and three Ks ... gave up one run over two innings in two outings at UCR ... Jeff Petersen (Freshman RHP) led his team to AAAA state title in 2000 .. all-state as a senior and a 25th-round draft choice ... started, worked three innings and got the win Wednesday vs. UPS ... worked a scoreless inning March 10 vs. Southern Utah after a rough inning at OSU ... Scott Robertson (Soph. RHP) has emerged as the Husky closer with eight outings, four saves and a win ... after hitting the leadoff man March 21to start the ninth vs. WSU, struck out the next two and got a flyout to earn his fourth save ... nine Ks and ive hits in seven and one-third ... nearly had a dream weekend in Tucson ... threw a scoreless ninth for the win over BYU ... worked out of a jam (second and third, no outs) vs. Kentucky for the save ... came in one run up in the 10th vs. Illinois, but gave up a run, ruining a shot at a two-save, one-win weekend ... one scoreless inning Monday vs. USC ... got a save at UCR March 2, throwing a perfect ninth inning ... got a save March 6 at OSU with one perfect inning ... fanned two in a perfect inning March 11 vs. Southern Utah ... Tyler Shepple (Soph. RHP) has yet to pick up a win, thanks to some tough luck ... losing end of a dominant performance by USC ace Mark Prior March 17 in a 5-1 loss and to Stanford ace Jeremy Guthrie last Friday ... took the loss March 7 at Oregon State, allowing six runs over four innings ... no decisions in first two starts ... March 2 at UC Riverside, allowed four runs on four hits over six and two-thirds ... vs. BYU, threw six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, no walks and five strikeouts ... gave up a two-run homer in the first for only runs ... 13 appearances, all in relief, in 2000.